Seven takeaways from Ignite's early season
It's no secret that this year's iteration of the NBA's primary developmental program has been lackluster. Here are some of the takeaways through their first handful of games.
Coming into the 2024 NBA draft cycle, a lot was made out of the sheer depth of talent that the NBA’s developmental program, the G-League Ignite were boasting in their fourth year of existence.
In previous years, we’ve seen Ignite have featured just three or four draftees. Entering the 2023-24 season, however, Ignite boasts nearly double the amount of prospects, with seven prospects eligible to be drafted in July.
Seven games into the season and things are looking dire for this highly heralded team, as they remain winless on the season, including losses of 59, 34 and 24 points. The goal of this program has always been to prioritize development over winning, but questions are starting to arise about just how much development can occur in an environment that lacks winning to this degree.
With that said, the goal is still to take away as much as we can as scouts, especially with the wealth of preseason top talent on the roster. So, with that said, here are seven takeaways — one for each prospect — from the early season for Ignite.
Ron Holland II’s early struggles, and two-way potential
The ace of this year’s Ignite class is the second-ranked player in ESPN’s class of 2023 rankings, Ron Holland II. The forward is an athletic marvel with a thin frame and a motor that is always running high. Holland caught fire in the team’s preseason showcase series against Perth and potential top pick, Alexandre Sarr, averaging 28.0 points per game on 68.6% true shooting.
In the preseason, Holland showcased elite two-way potential as well as improved shot making from what scouts had seen in high school. The knock on Holland’s game has always been his consistency from outside, stemming from inconsistent lower-body mechanics.
Those concerns about his shooting, however, have proven not entirely null in his first stretch of games, as Holland has struggled to get anything going from the outside, shooting 22.7% from three and 44.4% from the free throw line.
Holland’s best game of the season thus far was his most recent against South Bay, where he scored 24 points on 9-of-16 shooting from the field and 3-of-4 from beyond the arc.
Holland’s potential offensive versatility alongside his production defensively still gives reason for hope that he can return top-three value in this year’s class. If he can take little steps offensively — improving consistency in his mechanics to become a threat off the catch and learning to utilize his athleticism better as a cutter — there’s no doubt in my mind that he’ll be able to stick in the league and provide high level two-way impact, even if it’s not as an All-Star.
Matas Buzelis remains an enigma, but a very talented one
Personally, I’ve been a sceptic of Matas Buzelis for some time now. The 6’9” wing has remained towards the top of mock drafts from high school to now, heralded as a massive ball handler with elite outside shooting.
While the shooting has never been in doubt, the ceiling as a creator is a tad overstated. Buzelis can handle the ball without a doubt, but when it comes to creating advantages with his attacks, he can be limited by his own body.
However, I’ve become more optimistic about Buzelis once I started look at Buzelis as more of a Michael Porter Jr. than a Kevin Durant. A tall, elite shooter who can provide ancillary playmaking and ball handling, while (hopefully) being right about neutral as a defender.
Buzelis has yet to play for Ignite in the regular season, but looked great in their two games against Perth, averaging 16.5 points per game on 59.4% true shooting. On an Ignite team filled with prospects that has mostly not found their touch, I fully expect Buzelis to be one of the more consistent offensive players on the team.
As of now, Buzelis is reported to have been cleared for full contact practice and could debut as early as this weekend on any of the team’s three consecutive matchups against Stockton. With no film against other G-League teams until then, however, it’s a “wait and see” approach with Buzelis thus far.
Izan Almansa is finding his touch, and filling his role
Coming into the season with Ignite as a teenager who had spent the last handful of years dominating in international tournaments, Izan Almansa came into his pre-draft season tied as the youngest (both Almansa and Holland were born July 7, 2005) and the most accomplished player on this squad.
Almansa’s claim to fame is his interior scoring. His patience, touch and decisiveness as a scorer from 10-to-12 feet in is lethal, and what made him so deadly against the competition he faced in FIBA, both U17 and U19.
The one point of contention for Almansa that has scouts tempering expectations is his shooting indicators. In FIBA U19 play this past Summer, Almansa showed promise extending his range out beyond 15 feet and even to the three point line. He shot 17-of-19 from the free throw line (89.5%) and while his volume on jumpshots — 1-of-5 total — wasn’t eye-popping, there was clear potential in his mechanics.
With Ignite, that percentage from the line has just about halved itself, with Almansa shooting 7-of-16 from the line (43.8%) in seven games. Free throw shooting is usually a great indicator of shooting potential, as it’s a repeated isolation of mechanics with no variation. In the course of a game action, no shot is going to be exactly the same, which is why all the best shooters are also very consistent from the free throw line.
At the end of the day, Almansa’s still going to be consistent around the rim as a play finisher who tracks down offensive rebounds, makes plays out of the pick and roll and occasionally finds a bucket out of a post-up. While the shooting has not been encouraging for future production as an outside threat, he’s a player that knows his role and has proven he’s able to scale up and down offensively.
Tyler Smith has been a bright spot for this team
While the headlining names of the 2023-24 Ignite class have yet to exceed preseason expectations, a name that got lost in the crowd was Tyler Smith, a 6’11” and 225 lbs forward who spent last season with Overtime Elite and the team Cold Hearts.
Smith has one of the smoothest jumpers in the entire class, a beautiful one-motion lefty stroke that he shoots with superb confidence and balance. Whether it’s a pull-up or a catch-and-shoot attempt, his form looks exactly the same from top to bottom, and it’s largely the reason why he’s been able to shoot 50.0% from three off Ignite’s bench through seven contests.
Smith has shot up draft boards, going from a watch list addition to a bonafide top-20 guy on a handful of rankings. Smith has not just been Ignite’s most productive prospect, but the team’s most productive player overall, averaging 17.1 points per game in under 25 minutes per game off of an array of catch-and-shoot triples, closeout attacks, and even post-ups.
Offensively, Smith has been the pinnacle of efficiency and production, regardless of the circumstances that Ignite has played through. Defensively, he’s looked really solid as well, producing on the box score with nearly two combined steals and blocks per game, and being a solid rotational piece who holds his position against attackers well.
Amidst a group that has yet to catch its stride for the most part, Smith has made it clear that he is an NBA level talent.
Thierry Darlan might take another year, and that’s OK
Darlan is the fifth of the draft-eligible newcomers to this Ignite squad and the one that was arguably the least heralded coming into the season. An injury kept him from showcasing his talent against Perth and in international play following that, and even now, he’s struggled to get his feet under him.
The box score tells you all you need to know about Darlan’s slow start. He’s shooting 38.5% from two, 20.0% from three, 68.8% from the line and has double the amount of turnovers and assists. Darlan was painted as a raw shot-making wing, and thus far it’s been the “raw” part of that description that has shown through.
Of course, there is going to be an adjustment period when anyone makes that big of a jump in terms of level of competition, so giving Thierry the room to grow and adjust, as well as the minutes to play through the hardships is going to be big, and Ignite’s done a great job at allowing him that leeway.
The truth is, it might just take another year for Thierry if he can’t turn things around throughout the season, and that’s OK. He wouldn’t be the first player to be considered a late-bloomer, and still have success in his career.
The shot-making upside is still apparent despite the struggles with efficiency, and his length has been uncomfortable for offensive players on occasion, but how quickly he’s able to turn around his play and adjust to the level he’s at will determine where he lands in draft conversations come June and July.
Babacar Sane brings the energy and the toughness
Babacar Sane is the first of the two returning prospects I’ll be touching on, and my favorite so far this season. Sane caught some attention last season in limited minutes as a lanky and broad wing who could knock down a shot and played solid defense.
Entering his second season with the team, he’s bulked up a notable amount, with a chiseled 6’7” and 230-pound frame that is legitimately imposing compared to the other young wings and forwards he shares the court with. His biggest asset at this moment, outside of his frame, is his motor which is always revving at top speed.
He’s struggled with his shot so far this season, and has yet to make a three with six attempts on the season, but the energy, effort and toughness he brings to the court despite the struggles this team have been great. He just screams glue guy that his teammates are going to love in the NBA, and that’s half the battle of staying on a roster.
There is still some scoring upside with Sane despite the struggles early on. He’s long and strong, but despite having bulked up, he still has solid burst off the dribble, and can really deliver a bump. Occasionally, he can get caught flying out of control and picking up offensive fouls, but the tools and intent are there.
At some point on draft night or in the free agent market, you just have to think a team is going to take a chance on a frame like Sane’s who has two years playing against professionals. He’s a piece of clay right now, and Ignite has done very little molding in their losing situation, but some team will no doubt see an opportunity with him.
London Johnson might be lacking an NBA role
Comparatively to last season, it’s clear to see that London Johnson’s shooting splits can be chalked up to a slow start or an adjustment to a larger role. For stretches in his last season with Ignite, he was the starter while Scoot Henderson sat out with injuries, and Johnson took full advantage of the opportunity.
At 6’3” and 181 pounds, Johnson’s a bit on the smaller side for this new era of point guard prospects we’ve seen entering the NBA, lacking elite burst and quickness. He’s an inoffensive pick to get drafted with his skillset; a guard who can shoot, run a pick and roll, and isn’t a lethal negative as a defender; but the gripe is that he doesn’t have much of a standout skill or trait.
Johnson’s best trait is his passing. He’s a competent ball handler who keeps turnovers low — 6.1 assist-to-turnover ratio this season — and makes the right reads as a passer, but doesn’t bend a defense in any way or keep them second guessing what he’s going to do. He just simply gets to the spot and finds the window for his man.
There is arole for those types of point guards at the NBA-level, just ask brothers Tre and Tyus Jones, who are both starting-caliber guards. The difference with London is that he neither defends or finishes at the level of those two, and doesn’t pressure defenses with any kind of shot-making.
I’m confident that his shooting comes around throughout the year, but I’d love to see a more aggressive version of Johnson as we go down the stretch of the season. Not only would it help his stock, but it would also make the lives of his teammates much easier, as he is the starting point guard and a veteran-of-sorts on this team.
At the end of the day, it’s still incredibly early to come to a verdict on this Ignite team. They will grow and adjust with more reps, and they will start to win a handful of games as they do so.
While the results so far have been discouraging for most of the prospects that line this team’s roster, it’s the job of a scout to try and take away whatever they can from what they have, and take away something from what they’re seeing.
It’s been rough for Ignite to start out, but continuing to monitor the growth of the prospects and not the final scores will be crucial to pinpointing their development.
Spot on with your takeaway on Darlan, a fully healthy year under his belt and I can see him coming back completely different. I broke his game down thus far in my second to last article.
And you’re right about Sané’s energy and effort, he would be in such better position if he could show consistent activity. He can be doing much more with the frame he has